Safe Working Environment

Safe Working Environment

Introduction
My article critique is based on OSHA standards for control of hazardous energy sources. This article addresses all the practices that are necessary to maintain a safe working environment for workers. This especially so with the release of hazardous energy that results from industry operations. These energies may be electrical, mechanical, hydraulic, pneumatic, chemical and thermal among other forms of energy (OSHA, 2002)
Summary of the article
The article discusses safe working conditions that include lockout and tagging procedures. These are safety procedures when working with electricity and electrical appliances. Thus machinery needs to be maintained since failure to do so exposes the employees to serious physical harm or even death. Complying with regulations and following the correct lockout or tag out standards prevent fatalities which are approximated to be 50000 each year.
The tag out standard establishes the responsibilities of the employer to protect his or her employees. This standard is very flexible since it enables an employer to establish his or her own energy control program that is suitable for that particular workplace. This is based on the machinery being used in the workplace and equipment that is maintained or serviced. To achieve this, employees need to be trained so that they understand and follow well the procedures of the provision. This training covers three aspects that are the employer’s energy control program, the energy control procedures that are relevant to the employee’s duties and the requirements of OSHA standards as concerns lockout/tag out.
Employers can protect their employees under these standards by first developing, implementing and also enforcing an energy control program. Use the lockout devices for all equipment that can be locked out. A tag out device can also be used provided that the tag out program provides employee protection that is similar to that provided by the tag out. New or overhauled equipment also need to be capable of being locked out. An employer needs to develop, document, implement and also enforce energy control procedures. Even after establishing the use of lockout devices and tag out devices it is important to use such facilities on the specific machinery suitable for such a particular machine. A policy also needs to be established that ensures only the employees who applied a lockout or tag out device can remove it. Inspections are also important on the systems at least ones annually. The employees need to be trained on the system so that they can operate it safely.
Opinion on the suitability of the article
This article establishes very critical issues that need to be considered in ensuring workplace safety. It elaborates what is the role of the employer as well as the employees in ensuring that their workplaces remain safe at all times. This enables all players to adequately manage any disaster and thus avert it from causing bodily harm to themselves as well as other workers in the same workplace. This article goes on to discuss workplace standards that can be adopted to ensure that the workplace remains safe at all times. This article, therefore, supports all concepts presented in the textbook.
Conclusion
The article discusses OSHA standards of ensuring a safe working environment by paying a key interest in controlling of hazardous energy sources in the workplace. It is prudent to ensure employees in the workplace are safe at all time as they go about their work at their workplace so as to ensure they remain productive at all times. This is because injured workers lose an average of 24 workdays as they recuperate. This is likely to bring productivity levels in the industry which would have been avoided if a safe working environment had been maintained.

References
OSHA, (2002). The OSHA standard for The Control of Hazardous Energy (Lockout/Tagout). Title 29 Code Of Federal Regulations (CFR).